A House of Representatives committee has made 21 recommendations to help regional Australia deal with the impact of fly in, fly out (FIFO) workers, including suggestions to make mining centres more attractive for permanent employees.

Inquiry chairman Tony Windsor says the high cost and low supply of housing means many workers choose to "cash in" rather than living in the communities.

He says all levels of government need to provide an opportunity for workers to live full-time in the communities where they are employed.

Community

The Isaac Regional Council in Queensland's Bowen Basin includes Moranbah, where one of the public hearings for the inquiry was held.

Mayor Anne Baker welcomes the report, but says it now needs careful consideration and action.

"From our perspective we welcome the FIFO report. Our view is that it's a strong report that needs careful consideration and needs action from all levels of government.

"The position we are at at the moment is that we're going to take the time to see what the implications of the report are, and as our region we are very passionate and the establishment of this inquiry.

"I would caution the mining industry and their groups not to be crying wolf here, and not to be rushing out in defence of the industry or laying attack on the industry."

Ms Baker hopes that all parties will come together to discuss the future.

"We all need to have rational and reasonable dialogue with all parties for what's required, to ensure that the region and the nations economy can grow in a sustainable way.

"Whenever the non-resident becomes the higher percentage, your regional community will be hollowed out, Tony Windsor says that quite clearly in the report," she said.

Mining

Meanwhile Michael Roche, chief executive of Queensland Resources Council, believes the report ignored evidence supplied by a recent survey taken of both residential and non-residential workers.

"The report ignores the evidence that we provided to the committee by the way of results from a survey of 2,300 workers with both non-residential and residential workers.

"What that survey found was that FIFO and drive in drive out workers are very happy with their option and wouldn't change, and the residential workers also wouldn't change.

"It suits the different perception of best lifestyle in both groups of workers, so for the resources industry we need to have both options open."

Mr Roche says FIFO workers aren't part of the 'cancer' which Mr Windsor refers to in the report but are hard working people.

"These are people who live in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Bundaberg and Cairns, who work in important jobs going away for homes for say seven days and coming back, bringing incomes on average of $120,000 and spending that in the local community.

"The FIFO workforce is growing and we are getting the best of both worlds, we're getting strengthened mining communities and a spreading of the benefits to non mining areas," he concluded.

Development

Professor of Regional Economic Development at Central Queensland University John Rolfe says the recommendations are sensible but there are some admissions as well.

"I think there are two huge gaps. The first is that there seems to be an unhealthy emphasis on the mining industry.

"FIFO is becoming a social change in Australia, there are people doing it in all aspects of industry, it's not something isolated to regional Australia.

"The other thing the inquiry is silent on is the role of the State Government and I think this is where the big problems are.

"The State Government is also reacting to some of the pressures in regional communities in the way of development approvals, for example conditions requiring mining companies to build houses in these communities," he said.

"I think one of the tricky bits is that they've made many recommendations but they are very broad, many of them are about collecting more information or reviewing or coming up with better systems but without going into the finer detail.

"I think this is a very early stage and that a lot more work has to be done before major changes are made."

Housing

A lack of accommodation and housing in mining communities for both families and miners is high on the list of recommendations.

Blackwater Progress Group president Lester Anderson says housing rents in Blackwater were high during the mining peak.

"It's usually companies that are putting half-a-dozen blokes into houses and doing hot bed changes - they're the ones that can afford it.

"With the downturn that we've had, the housing has come back a bit but once the resources industry kicks in again those prices will go back up, so it's really on the companies to start building a few houses for their workers."